Henriksen and Burkardt talk sports psychology at Mainzer roundtable

“Mental strength” served as the topic of discussion at a FSV Mainz 05 club-sponsored event at the MEWA Arena on Wednesday evening. Joined byNLZ sports psychologist Konstantin Kuhlmann, FSV Mainz 05 trainer Bo Henriksen and striker Jonathan Burkardt were among those on the panel to talk about the psychology of sports at a lecture attended by some 400 local students. 

Henriksen – who has drawn some criticism for being more of a motivator than a tactician recently in the local press – didn’t shy away from defining his role as that of primarily being a “mental coach” for his team. The Danish trainer noted in a recent post-match interview that he didn’t want his players “thinking too much”. The 49-year-old doubled down.

”I have only one job: to give the guys positive energy and to free them mentally,” Henriksen said,  “They can’t think too much. Only then will they know exactly what to do on the pitch.”

Burkardt agreed.

“Tactics and things like that come after cultivating the right mental attitude,” Burkardt said, “If you have that, it’s hard for others to beat you.” 

Both Burkardt and Henriksen spoke more on the “mentality” issue. Henriksen flatly admitted that he himself employed a sports psychologist to help him out in his job. Burkardt spoke on the need to avoid social media. 

“If you use social media, a great deal of stimuli enters you subconscious,” Burkardt said, “That doesn’t help you prepare for the next game. I want to shield myself from that.”

“Some of my [German national team colleagues] also reported problems in this regard,” Burkardt continued, “They complain about the comments they received. It affects everyone.” 

When it came time to discuss the state of the team’s slow start this season, both FSV actors conveyed optimism about the outlook this year. Despite what was widely regarded to be a very poor performance against Leipzig over the weekend, Henriksen and Burkardt told fans expressing their concern during the Q & A session that all would eventually be well. 

“A few players have left and a few new ones have arrived,” Henriksen said, “That means it’s a new group that has to create a new culture and new relationships. We’re looking for the flow and will find it. I’m feeling fantastic.”